Wireless controlled railcar cargo loading system

ABSTRACT

A railcar loading system utilizing roller ball track assemblies, or the like, in the center to enable cargo to be moved thereover in any direction (moving cargo in/out and within the railcar). Powered movement devices (e.g., rollers, conveyors) are utilized in the center to assist in movement of cargo in/out or within the railcar. Roller track assemblies, or the like, are utilized on sides of railcar to move cargo to/from the sides. Airbags may be utilized in track assemblies and powered movement devices to raise devices up when activated. Railcar may include an air connector on each side to provide air to solenoid valve that routes air to appropriate airbags. Cargo table is used to move cargo from cargo bay to railcar. Wireless controller may be used to control railcar and table including what tracks are raised and direction cargo is to be moved (what powered movements devices are operational).

BACKGROUND

The use of trains to transport cargo has long been known. The trains cantransport large amounts of cargo on fixed pathways (tracks) betweenlocations. As the railcars have doors substantially centered on thesides thereof, the cargo enters the appropriate side of the railcar andis then moved within the railcar. Depending on the orientation of thetrain with respect to the platform at the station (cargo bay), the cargoneeds to be moved either to the left or the right to get to the front orback of the railcar.

FIG. 1A illustrates a simplified side view of an example railcar 100.The railcar 100 includes a sliding door 110 centrally located on eachside of the railcar 100 (only one door visible in the side view) andseparating the railcar 100 into a first section (e.g., front, back) 120and a second section (e.g., back, front) 130.

FIG. 1B illustrates a simplified side view of the example railcar 100having racks 140 of cargo loaded therein. As illustrated, the cargoracks 140 are loaded to the left and right of the door 110 (front andback of the railcar 100) and there is a gap 150 where no racks arelocated so as to enable the racks 140 to be loaded and unloaded from therailcar 100 onto a loading dock. The number and size of the cargo racks140 is in no way intended to be limited to the illustrative example.

FIG. 1C illustrates a simplified top view of a railcar 100 on railroadtracks 160 at a cargo bay 170. As illustrated, the cargo bay 170 is onthe right side of the railcar 100 but is in no way limited thereto.Furthermore, the railcar 100 is not limited in the direction in which itwill be traveling. When the railcar 100 is stopped at the cargo bay 170there will be a gap 180 therebetween. Furthermore, the floor of therailcar 100 and the cargo bay 170 may not align (one may be higher thanother). Accordingly, a cargo table (e.g., ramp) 190 may utilized toprovide a bridge therebetween that is used to move cargo between therailcar 100 and the cargo bay 170 via the door 110. The table 190 may bealigned with the gap 150 to facilitate loading and unloading of therailcar 100. As illustrated, a left edge of the table 190 is alignedwith a left edge of the gap 150 (but is not limited to the illustratedembodiment). Once the cargo is within the railcar 100, the cargo can bemoved within the railcar 100. The railcar 100 and the table 190 mayinclude some type of roller/tracking system (not illustrated) for movingthe cargo in and out of the railcar 100 and within the railcar 100.

FIG. 2 illustrates a simplified view of a tracking system on a cargotable 190.

The table 190 may include a plurality of rollers 200 that roll in afirst (e.g., into railcar) or a second direction (e.g., out of railcar)along a plane based on the manner in which the cargo is being advanced.It should be noted that only a few of the rollers 200 are labeled forease of illustration. The direction the rollers 200 may move when cargois being moved thereover is indicated with a dashed line. The rollers200 may be housed within track assemblies 210, 220 that align therollers 200. The track assemblies 210, 220 make up rows of rollers 200.The number of rows of rollers 200 is not limited to the numberillustrated or any number. As illustrated, the assemblies 210 are muchsmaller than the assemblies 220 but is not limited thereby. Rather, thedifferent identification of assemblies 210, 220 is simply to indicatethat some rollers 200 may be continuously placed along the table 190while others may have gaps therebetween. The number of rollers 200housed within the assemblies 210, 220 is not limited to the numberillustrated or any specific number. The table 190 may further include apowered roller 230 to assist in the loading or unloading of cargo intoor out of the railcar. The powered roller 230 may be located within ahousing 240 and be capable of being operated in either a first (e.g.,into railcar) or a second direction (e.g., out of railcar). Thedirection the powered roller 230 may be operated in is indicated with asolid line. The number and location of the powered roller 230 is notlimited to what is illustrated.

In order to ensure that the cargo doesn't inadvertently roll, thepowered roller 230 and the rollers 200 may be located below the surfaceof the table 190 (and thus not be capable of moving the cargo) when notin use. When the cargo is to be moved, the powered roller 230 and therollers 200 may be raised up so as to be above the surface of the table190 and be capable of moving the cargo. The rollers 200 may be raised upby inflating an airbag (not illustrated) that is located below therollers 200. The airbag may be located within the assemblies 210, 220.The powered roller 230 may also be raised up by inflating an airbag (notillustrated) located therebelow. The airbag may be located within thehousing 240. The table 190 may have connectors (not illustrated) forconnecting the airbags to an air source with flow of air to the airbagsbeing controlled by a manual valve. The airbags for the rollers 200 mayall be connected to one another and thus all operated together and theairbag for the powered roller 230 may be separately operated.

FIG. 3 illustrates a simplified view of a tracking system within a cargorailcar 100. The center of the railcar 100 (aligned with the doors 110)includes items for moving cargo in and out of the railcar 100 as well asitems for moving the cargo around within the railcar 100. The items formoving cargo into and out of the railcar 100 include a plurality offirst retractable rollers 300 and a first retractable powered roller320. The items for moving cargo within the railcar 100 include aplurality of second retractable rollers 340 and second retractablepowered rollers 360, 370. The plane in which the plurality of firstretractable rollers 300 and the first retractable powered roller 320operate is same as the rollers 200 and powered roller 230, and isperpendicular to the plane that the plurality of second retractablerollers 340 and the second retractable powered rollers 360, 370 operate.

The plurality of first retractable rollers 300 are capable of moving ina first or second direction (indicated with a dashed line) as the cargois being moved thereover (into or out of the railcar from either side).The rollers 300 may be housed within track assemblies 310 that align therollers 300. The track assemblies 310 make up rows of the rollers 300,where the track assemblies 310 are installed perpendicular to the doors110 (traverse from a door to a mid-point of the center of the railcar100). It should be noted that only a few of the rollers 300 and a few ofthe assemblies 310 are labeled for ease of illustration. The number ofrollers 300 in an assembly 310 and the number of assemblies 310 is notlimited to the number illustrated or any number. Furthermore, thelocation, configuration and orientation is not limited to theillustrated embodiment. The first powered roller 320 is to assist withmoving cargo into or out of either side of the railcar 100. The poweredroller 320 may be located within a housing 330 and be capable of beingoperated in either a first or a second direction that is indicated witha solid line. The location of the powered roller 320 is not limited towhat is illustrated and more than one powered roller 320 could beutilized.

The plurality of second retractable rollers 340 are capable of moving ina first or second direction (indicated with a dashed line) as the cargois being moved thereover (to the front or back of the railcar 100). Itshould be noted that the rollers 300, 340 may be the same type ofrollers with the different designations being to indicate that theyrotate along different planes (perpendicular planes). The rollers 340may be housed within track assemblies 350 that align the rollers 340.The track assemblies 350 make up rows of the rollers 340, where thetrack assemblies 350 are installed parallel to the doors 110 (traversefrom a front to a back of the center of the railcar 100). It should benoted that only a few of the rollers 340 with the assemblies 350 arelabeled for ease of illustration. The number of rollers 340 in anassembly 350 and the number of assemblies 350 is not limited to thenumber illustrated or any number. The second powered rollers 360 are toassist with moving cargo to the front or back of the railcar 100. Thepowered rollers 360, 370 may be located within housings 365, 375 and becapable of being operated in either a first or a second direction thatis indicated with a solid line. The number and location of the poweredrollers 360, 370 is not limited to what is illustrated.

The first and second sections 120, 130 of the railcar 100 include aplurality of the second retractable rollers 340. The rollers 340 may behoused within track assemblies 380, 390 that align the rollers 340. Itshould be noted that only a few of the rollers 340 and a few of theassemblies 380, 390 are labeled for ease of illustration. The trackassemblies 380, 390 make up rows of the rollers 340 that are installedparallel to the doors 110 (traversing from center of the railcar 100 tofront or back of the railcar 100 respectively). The number of rollers340 in an assembly 380, 390 and the number of assemblies 380, 390 is notlimited to the number illustrated or any number. As illustrated, theassemblies 350 are smaller than the assemblies 380, 390 and theassemblies 380, 390 are the same size, but is not limited thereby.Rather, the different identification of assemblies 350, 380, 390 issimply to indicate location of the rollers 340 within the railcar.

As noted above with respect to the table 190, the retractable rollers300, 340 and the powered rollers 320, 360, 370 may be located below thefloor when not in operation in order to ensure they are not utilized toshift the cargo around when not desired (e.g., when the railcar 100 isin transit). The rollers 300, 340 may be raised up by inflating anairbag (not illustrated) that is located below the rollers 300, 340. Theairbag may be located within the assemblies 310, 350, 380, 390. Thepowered rollers 320, 360, 370 may also be raised up by inflating anairbag (not illustrated) located therebelow. The airbag may be locatedwithin the housing 330, 365, 375.

Various airbags within the railcar 100 may be connected together in somefashion to create airbag sections that may be operated together. Forexample, all the airbag associated with the assemblies 310 may beconnected together and/or connected to a single source of air to createan airbag section. Likewise, airbag sections may be created for theairbags associated with the assemblies 350, the airbags associated withthe assemblies 380, and the airbags associated with the assemblies 390.The railcar 100 may have one or more connectors (not illustrated) forconnecting the airbags (for powered rollers 320, 360, 370) and airbagsections (for assemblies 310, 350, 380, 390) to an air source (notillustrated). The flow of air to the airbags/airbag sections may becontrolled by a manual valve (not illustrated) associated with eachpowered roller and assembly section.

FIGS. 4A-H illustrate the operation of the various components of therailcar 100 when loading cargo into the railcar 100. FIG. 4A illustratesthe actions to be taken when cargo is being moved into the railcar 100from a cargo platform 170 (located on right side of railcar 100). Whilenot illustrated it is understood that to move cargo into the railcar 100that the table 190 will be operational. Within the railcar 100 theairbag sections associated with the assemblies 310 are inflated so thatthe rollers 300 extend through the floor and the airbag associated withthe housing 330 is inflated so that the powered roller 320 extendsthrough the floor (for ease of illustration the dotted line identifiesthe components that have been activated). As noted above, to inflate theairbags a connection between the railcar 100 and an air source isrequired and the appropriate valves need to be turned on to provide theair to the appropriate airbags/airbag sections. The powered roller 320is operated in a first direction (to the left) as indicated by the solidarrow to assist in moving the cargo entering the right side (open door)of the railcar 100 to the left side (toward closed door) of the railcar100. The rollers 300 will rotate to the left as indicated by the dashedarrow as the cargo traverses thereover.

FIG. 4B illustrates the actions to be taken once the cargo has beenmoved into the railcar 100 from the cargo platform 170. The poweredroller 320 is turned off and the appropriate valves are turned off sothat the airbag section associated with the assemblies 310 is deflatedso that the rollers 300 retract into the floor and the airbag associatedwith the housing 330 is also deflated so that the roller 320 retractsinto the floor.

FIG. 4C illustrates the actions to be taken to move the cargo from thecenter of the railcar to the back of the railcar (to bottom of page asillustrated). The valves associated with the airbag sections for theassemblies 350, 380 and the airbags for the housings 365, 375 are turnedon so that the airbags are inflated and the rollers 340 and the poweredrollers 360, 370 extend through the floor (for ease of illustration thedotted line identifies the components that have been activated). Thepowered rollers 360, 370 are operated in a first direction (to thebottom) as indicated by the solid arrow to assist in moving the cargo tothe back of the railcar 100. The rollers 340 will rotate downward asindicated by the dashed arrow as the cargo traverses thereover.

FIG. 4D illustrates the actions to be taken once the cargo has beenmoved to the back of the railcar 100. The powered rollers 360, 370 areturned off and the appropriate valves are turned off so that the airbagssections associated with the assemblies 350, 380 and the airbagsassociated with the housings 365, 375 are deflated so that the rollers340 and the powered rollers 360, 370 retract into the floor.

After the cargo has been moved to the back, additional cargo will beloaded into the railcar 100. FIG. 4E illustrates the steps taken to loadcargo into the center (same as illustrated in FIG. 4A) and FIG. 4Fillustrates the steps taken after the cargo has entered the railcar(same as illustrated in FIG. 4B).

FIG. 4G illustrates the actions to be taken to move the cargo from thecenter of the railcar to the front of the railcar (to top of page asillustrated). The valves associated with the airbag sections for theassemblies 350, 390 and the airbags associated with the housings 365,375 are turned on so that the airbags are inflated and the rollers 340and the powered rollers 360, 370 extend through the floor (for ease ofillustration the dotted line identifies the components that have beenactivated). The powered rollers 360, 370 are operated in a seconddirection (to the top) as indicated by the solid arrow to assist inmoving the cargo to the front of the railcar 100. The rollers 340 willrotate upward as indicated by the dashed arrow as the cargo traversesthereover.

FIG. 4H illustrates the actions to be taken once the cargo has beenmoved to the front of the railcar 100. The powered rollers 360, 370 areturned off and the appropriate valves are turned off so that the airbagssections associated with the assemblies 350, 390 and airbags associatedwith the housings 365, 375 are deflated so that the rollers 340 and thepowered rollers 360, 370 retract into the floor.

To remove cargo from the railcar 100, the process is basically reversed.The variation being that when the cargo is loaded in the front or backof the railcar that the powered rollers 360, 370 located in the centerof the railcar will not aid in bringing the cargo to the center.Accordingly, moving cargo to the center of the railcar may requiremanually pulling the cargo over the appropriate rollers 340 that havebeen activated. Once the cargo is in the center section of the car, thepowered rollers 360, 370 may be utilized to align the cargo and thepowered roller 320 can assist in unloading the cargo from theappropriate side of the railcar.

The need to connect multiple air lines and manually control each of theair lines to operate different airbag sections in order raise and lowerdifferent rollers is labor intensive and requires a full time operatorat a stationary set of controls which does not always allow an optimumview of the moving cargo. Furthermore, the need to raise the rollers 300in the center of the railcar to bring cargo into the railcar (or removecargo from the railcar) and then lower the rollers 300 and raise therollers 340 in the center of the railcar to move cargo within therailcar is time consuming and makes the operations more complex. What isneeded is a method and apparatus for simplifying the process.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the various embodiments will becomeapparent from the following detailed description in which:

FIG. 1A illustrates a simplified side view of an example railcar;

FIG. 1B illustrates a simplified side view of the example railcar havingracks of cargo loaded therein;

FIG. 1C illustrates a simplified top view of a railcar on railroadtracks at a cargo bay;

FIG. 2 illustrates a simplified view of a tracking system on a cargotable;

FIG. 3 illustrates a simplified view of a tracking system within a cargorailcar;

FIGS. 4A-H illustrate the operation of the various components of therailcar for loading cargo thereinto;

FIGS. 5A-C illustrate several views of an example roller ball trackassembly, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 6 illustrates a simplified view of an example cargo railcar with atracking system using roller ball track assemblies, according to oneembodiment;

FIGS. 7A-H illustrate the operation of the various components of therailcar when loading cargo into the railcar, according to oneembodiment;

FIG. 8 illustrates an example functional diagram of air and electricalsystems of a cargo railcar, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 9 illustrates an example functional diagram of a system for loadingcargo from a cargo bay to a cargo railcar and unloading cargo from thecargo railcar to the cargo bay, according to one embodiment; and

FIG. 10 illustrates an example user interface for the wirelesscontroller used in the operation of the cargo loading/unloading system,according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Roller balls can be rotated in any direction. A track assembly that usedroller balls in place of rollers would enable the same track assembly tobe utilized to move cargo in multiple directions (in/out of car,forward/backward within railcar). Using roller ball track assemblies inthe center of a railcar would eliminate the need to raise a first set ofassemblies in the center of the railcar in order to move the cargothereinto, then lower the first set of assemblies and raise a second setof assemblies in order to move the cargo within the railcar. Rather,when using roller ball track assemblies in the center of the railcarwould simply require the roller ball track assemblies to be raised whencargo was being moved, whether the movement was into or out of the car,or within the railcar.

FIGS. 5A-C illustrate several views of an example roller ball trackassembly 500. FIG. 5A illustrates an exploded perspective view of theroller ball track assembly 500. The roller ball track assembly includesan external housing 510, an airbag assembly 520, a safety strip 530, aroller ball assembly 540 and a top plate 550. The external housing 510is formed as a channel with a bottom 512 and a pair of sidewalls 514,516 that the airbag assembly 520, the safety strip 530 and the rollerball assembly 540 fit within and that the top plate 550 mounts on topof. The airbag assembly 520 is located on the bottom of external housing510 and includes clamps 522 for securing the airbags 520 on each sidethereof and an inlet fitting 524 for receiving tubing that enables theairbag assembly 520 to receive air from an air supply when inflation isactivated. The safety strip 530 is located on top of the airbag assembly520 to ensure that the airbag assembly 520 is not damaged by the rollerball assembly 540. The roller ball assembly 540 includes a housing tosupport a plurality of roller balls 545. The top plate 550 includes aplurality of holes 555 to enable the trackballs 545 to extendtherethrough.

FIG. 5B illustrates a side view of the example roller ball trackassembly 500 in a non-activated (non-inflated) state. The externalhousing 510 includes a first receptacle 560 and a second receptacle 562on the top of the sidewalls 514, 516 respectively. The top plate 550includes a flange 570 and a tab 572 at opposite ends thereof. The flange570 is to be received in the first receptacle 560. The connectionbetween the flange 570 and the first receptacle 560 may act a pivotpoint for the top plate 550 (enable the top plate 550 to pivottherearound when open). The tab 572 is to extend over a side of thesecond receptacle 562. The top plate 550 may further includes aplurality of holes 574 formed in close proximity to the tab 572 and inalignment with the second receptacle 562. The holes 574 are to receivescrews 580 and the second receptacle 562 is to receive nuts 582. Thescrews 580 and the nuts 582 are to secure the top plate 550 in place.

The airbag 520 is not inflated so all that is visible are the clamps 522and the inlet fitting 524. In this configuration, the roller ballassembly 540 is resting on the safety strip 530 which is on the deflatedairbag assembly 520 so that roller ball 545 is located within the rollerball track assembly 500 (below the floor in the freight railcar).

FIG. 5C illustrates a side view of the example roller ball trackassembly 500 in an activated (inflated) state. The inflated airbag 520pushes the safety strip 530 and the roller ball assembly 540 upward sothat the roller ball 545 protrudes through the opening in the top plate550 (extends above the floor in the freight railcar).

FIG. 6 illustrates a simplified view of a cargo railcar 600 with atracking system using roller ball track assemblies 500. The center ofthe railcar 600 (aligned with the doors 110) includes items for movingcargo in and out of the railcar 600 as well as items for moving thecargo around within the railcar 600. The items for moving cargo into andout of the railcar 600 include a plurality of retractable roller balls545 within a plurality of track assemblies 500 and the first retractablepowered roller 320 within the housing 330. The items for moving cargowithin the railcar 600 include the roller ball track assemblies 500 andsecond retractable powered rollers 360, 370 within the housings 365,375. The roller ball track assemblies 500 may operate in the planeassociated with moving cargo in/out of the railcar (same plane as therollers 200 and powered roller 230 of the table 190 and the poweredroller 320) as well as the plane associated with moving cargo within therailcar 600 (same plane as the plurality of second retractable rollers340 and the powered rollers 360, 370) as indicated by the dashed lines.

The track assemblies 500 make up rows of the roller balls 545. It shouldbe noted that only a few of the roller balls 545 and a few of theassemblies 500 are labeled for ease of illustration. The number ofroller balls 545 in an assembly 500 and the number of assemblies 500 isnot limited to the number illustrated or any number. As illustrated, thetrack assemblies 500 are installed parallel to the doors (traversingfrom front to back of center of the railcar 600). However, the location,configuration and orientation is not limited to the illustratedembodiment. For example, the track assemblies could be mountedperpendicular to the doors 110 in similar fashion to the assemblies 310.

The powered rollers 320, 360 may function the same as those describedwith respect to FIG. 3 and may be located, configured and oriented inapproximately the same manner. The first powered roller 320 is to assistwith moving cargo into or out of either side of the railcar 600 and thesecond powered rollers 360 are to assist with moving cargo to the frontor back of the railcar 600.

The first and second sections 120, 130 of the railcar 600 may include aplurality of the second retractable rollers 340 within the trackassemblies 380, 390. It should be noted that only a few of the rollers340 and a few of the assemblies 380, 390 are labeled for ease ofillustration. The track assemblies 380, 390 may function the same asthose described with respect to FIG. 3 and may be located, configuredand oriented in approximately the same manner.

It should be noted that the number of roller ball track assemblies 500and the number of roller track assemblies 380, 390 may depend on thecargo being loaded thereinto. For example, the heavier the load, themore track assemblies 500, 380, 390 may be utilized.

FIGS. 7A-H illustrate the operation of the various components of therailcar 600 when loading cargo into the railcar 600. For ease ofillustration the components that have been activated are surrounded witha dotted line box. FIG. 7A illustrates the actions to be taken whencargo is being moved into the railcar 600 from a cargo platform 170(located on right side of railcar 600). The airbag section associatedwith the roller ball track assemblies 500 is inflated so that the rollerballs 545 extend through the floor. The powered roller 320 is activatedin a first direction which causes the airbags to inflate so that theroller 320 extends through the floor and then rotates in the firstdirection (to the left) as indicated by the solid arrow to assist inmoving the cargo entering the right side (open door) of the railcar 600to the left side (toward closed door) of the railcar 600. The rollerballs 545 will rotate in the first direction (to the left) as indicatedby the dashed arrow as the cargo traverses thereover.

FIG. 7B illustrates the actions to be taken once the cargo has beenmoved into the railcar 600 from the cargo platform 170. The poweredroller 320 is turned off so that roller 320 stops rotating and theairbag associated with the housing 330 is deflated so that the roller320 retracts into the floor. It should be noted that no action is takenon the roller ball assemblies 500 (the airbag sections remain inflatedand the roller balls 545 remain extending through the floor).

FIG. 7C illustrates the actions to be taken to move the cargo from thecenter of the railcar to the back of the railcar (to bottom of page asillustrated). The airbag sections for the assemblies 380 are inflatedand the rollers 340 extend through the floor. The powered rollers 360,370 are activated in a first direction which causes the airbags toinflate so that the rollers 360, 370 extends through the floor and thenrotate in the first direction (to the back) as indicated by the solidarrow to assist in moving the cargo to the back of the railcar 600. Theroller balls 545 and the rollers 340 will rotate in the first direction(to the back) as indicated by the dashed arrow as the cargo traversesthereover. It should be noted that the actions depicted in FIGS. 7B and7C could be taken at substantially the same time, in which case FIG. 7Bwould not be required and it would proceed from FIG. 7A to 7C.

FIG. 7D illustrates the actions to be taken once the cargo has beenmoved to the back of the railcar 100. The powered rollers 360, 370 areturned off so that rollers 360, 370 stop rotating and the airbagsassociated with the housings 365, 375 are deflated so that the rollers360, 370 retract into the floor. Furthermore, the airbag sectionassociated with the assemblies 380 is deflated so that the rollers 340retract into the floor. It should be noted that no action is taken onthe roller ball assemblies 500 (the airbag sections remain inflated andthe roller balls 545 remain extending through the floor).

After the cargo has been moved to the back, additional cargo will beloaded into the railcar 500. FIG. 7E illustrates the steps taken to loadcargo into the center (same as illustrated in FIG. 7A). It should benoted that the actions depicted in FIGS. 7D and 7E could be taken atsubstantially the same time, in which case FIG. 7D would not be requiredand it would proceed from FIG. 7C to 7E.

FIG. 7F illustrates the steps taken after the cargo has entered therailcar (same as illustrated in FIG. 7B). FIG. 7G illustrates theactions to be taken to move the cargo from the center of the railcar tothe front of the railcar (to top of page as illustrated). The airbagsections for the assemblies 390 are inflated so that the rollers 340extend through the floor. The powered rollers 360, 370 are activated ina second direction which causes the airbags to inflate so that therollers 360, 370 extend through the floor and then rotate in the seconddirection (to the front) as indicated by the solid arrow to assist inmoving the cargo to the front of the railcar 600. The roller balls 545and the rollers 340 will rotate in the second direction (to the front)as indicated by the dashed arrow as the cargo traverses thereover. Itshould be noted that the actions depicted in FIGS. 7F and 7G could betaken at substantially the same time, in which case FIG. 7F would not berequired and it would proceed from FIG. 7E to 7G.

FIG. 7H illustrates the actions to be taken once the cargo has beenmoved to the front of the railcar 600 and the loading of cargo iscomplete. The powered rollers 360, 370 are turned off so that rollers360, 370 stop rotating and the airbags associated with the housings 365,375 are deflated so that the rollers 360, 370 retract into the floor.Furthermore, the airbags sections associated with the assemblies 500,390 are deflated so that the roller balls 545 and the rollers 340retract into the floor.

To remove cargo from the railcar 600, the process is basically reversed.The variation being that when the cargo is loaded in the front or backof the railcar that the powered rollers 360, 370 located in the centerof the railcar will not aid in bringing the cargo to the center.Accordingly, moving cargo to the center of the railcar may requiremanually pulling the cargo over the appropriate rollers 340 that havebeen activated. Once the cargo is in the center, the powered roller 320can assist in unloading the cargo from the appropriate side of therailcar.

It should further be noted that as the cargo may be loaded to (orunloaded from) the front and back of the railcar in, for example, analternating or arbitrary fashion that the roller track assemblies 380,390 may both be activated (inflated, rollers up) at the same time. Theroller ball assemblies 500 may stay up for the entire loading/unloadingprocess. Having all three sections raised at once allows cargo to movein/out and between sections as the user desires. The powered rollers320, 360, 370 are operated to guide which direction the cargo is moving.

In order to further streamline the process for loading cargo onto thecargo car, the cargo railcar may include a single connector on each sideof the cargo railcar for receiving air and a single connection on eachside for receiving power and control signals. The railcar may include asolenoid valve for routing the air to the appropriate sections ofairbags based on control signals. The railcar may also include anelectrical junction box for receiving the power and control signals androuting the signals to the solenoid valve and the appropriate poweredrollers.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example functional diagram of air and electricalsystems 800 of a cargo railcar. The cargo railcar includes an airconnector (e.g., glad-hand connector) 805, 810 on each side thereof toreceive a pneumatic supply line to connect the railcar to an air supplysource located on the cargo bay. Each side of the cargo railcar alsoincludes a data connector (multi-pin connector) 825, 830 for receivingpower and control signals from a control unit on the cargo bay. The useof the air connectors 805, 810 and data connectors 825, 830 on each sideof the railcar enables the railcar to be connected to a cargo bayregardless of what side of the railcar the cargo bay is on.

Each of the air connectors 805, 810 are connected to a shuttle valve 815that provides air received from the appropriate connector 805, 810 to asolenoid air valve 820. The solenoid air valve 820 is capable or routingair to airbag sections (associated with roller tracks 380, 390 and/orroller ball tracks 500) and/or airbags (associated with powered rollers320, 360, 370) based on control signals received thereby. Each of thedata connectors 825, 830 is connected to an electrical junction box 835.The electrical junction box 835 provides power and control signals tothe solenoid air valve 820 and the powered rollers 320, 360, 370. Thecontrol signals to the solenoid air valve 820 controls the operation ofthe solenoid air valve 820 by defining which valves to open and closebased on which airbag sections and/or airbags should be inflated ordeflated. The manner in which the power is applied to the poweredrollers 320, 360, 370 may control the direction of the powered rollers320, 360, 370.

The solenoid air valve 820 connects to various airbag sections andairbags via different ports. As illustrated, the solenoid air valve 820has six external ports (but is not limited thereto) that it may provideair from based on whether an associated valve is open or closed. Threeof the ports are connected to airbags 840, 845, 850 associated with thepowered rollers 320, 360, 370. It should be noted that in order for thepowered rollers 320, 360, 370 to operate that they must be raised(airbags 840, 845, 850 inflated) and the appropriate signals must beprovided to turn in the appropriate direction. That is, the electricaljunction box 835 needs to provide power to the appropriate poweredroller(s) 320, 360, 370 and also provide commands to the solenoid airvalve 820 to provide air to the appropriate airbag(s) 840, 845, 850.

Three of the ports are connected to track isolation valves 855, 865, 875that are associated with different sections of the railcar (front,center, back). Each of the track isolation valves 855, 865, 875 are toprovide air to a plurality of rows (5 illustrated) of airbags 860, 870,880 that are located within the roller tracks 380, 390 or roller balltracks 500. It should be noted that the number of rows that the trackisolation valves 855, 865, 875 provide air to is in no way intended tobe limited to any number and that each of the track isolation valves855, 865, 875 need not provide air to the same number of rows (rathereach can provide air to a desired number of rows). For ease ofillustration only a few of the airbags 860, 870, 880 are identified andthe tracks 380, 390, 500 that the airbags 860, 870, 880 are locatedwithin are simply illustrated as a dotted box for the entire section. Itshould be noted that while each row is illustrated as a single airbagthat it may be more than one track assembly and thus more than oneairbag in the row. In such an event, the airbags within the row may beconnected together.

The track isolation valves 855, 865, 875 may include quick exhaustvalves 858, 868, 878 that enable the air within the associated airbags860, 870, 880 to be quickly drained when deactivated (when air is nolonger being provided to the associated track isolation valves 855, 865,875). Quickly draining the air from (deflating) the airbags 860, 870,880 enables the rollers 340 and/or roller balls 545 to be retractedquickly when those sections are deactivated. The quick exhaust valves858, 868, 878 may simply be a port that is closed when the trackisolation valves 855, 865, 875 are receiving air that is open when noair is being received.

According to one embodiment, the system 800 may inflate the rollertracks 380, 390 and/or roller ball tracks 500 without operating thepowered rollers 320, 360, 370 to, for example, allow cargo to manuallybe loaded, unloaded and/or organized. According to one embodiment, thesystem 800 may limit the operation of the powered rollers 320, 360, 370to when appropriate ones of the roller tracks 380, 390 and/or rollerball tracks 500 are inflated to, for example, prevent cargo from beingforced along the floor where movement (rolling) is not facilitated bythe rollers 340 and/or the roller balls 545 being raised. For example,if the roller ball assemblies 500 are not activated none of the poweredrollers 320, 360, 370 may be operational.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example functional diagram of a system 900 forloading cargo from a cargo bay to a cargo railcar and unloading cargofrom the cargo railcar to the cargo bay. The system 900 may include acargo bay station 910, a cargo railcar 940 equipped with track systemfor loading/unloading (e.g., FIG. 6), a cargo table 950 equipped withtrack system for loading/unloading, an air supply 960 and a wirelesscontroller 970. The cargo bay station 910 may include a power supply 920and a control unit 930. The power supply 920 is to convert the AC power(e.g., 120V, 240V) received at the cargo bay to the DC power (e.g., 24V)to operate the cargo railcar 940 and the cargo table 950. The powersupply 920 provides the power to the control unit 930. The control unit930 may include, for example, a wireless receiver, motor drive boards tocontrol the powered rollers, a controller to provide control signals tothe solenoid air valves, a fuse panel and control relays. The controlunit 920 is connected to the cargo railcar 940 and the cargo table 950with data and power cables. The cables provide both power and controlsignals thereto as, for example, described with respect to FIG. 8. Theair source 960 is also connected to the cargo railcar 940 and the cargotable 950. The wireless controller 970 is used to provide instructionsto the control unit 930 for how to operate the system. The wirelesscontroller 970 may control the operation of both the cargo railcar 940and the cargo table 950.

The wireless controller 970 may be utilized by an individual moving thecargo as opposed to a person located at the cargo bay station 910. Theuse of the wireless controller 970 enables decisions about appropriateactions to be taken to move the cargo to be made at the location wherethe cargo is actually being moved. This direct control of the systemenables more accurate and timely instructions to be provided. Thewireless controller 970 may be capable of linking to a specific cargobay station 910 to exclusively work therewith and prevent interference.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example user interface for the wirelesscontroller 970 used in the operation of the cargo loading/unloadingsystem 900. The wireless controller 970 may include buttons for pairingthe wireless controller with a cargo bay station (PAIR) 1050, forcontrolling the tracks (e.g., inflating or deflating the airbags) in thevarious sections of the railcar including LEFT TRACK 1010, CENTER TRACK1020, and RIGHT TRACK 1030, for controlling the tracks on the TABLE1080, and for controlling the direction that the powered rollers movethe cargo including LEFT 1040, RIGHT 1060, IN 1070 and OUT 1090. Itshould be noted that the user interface is not limited to thearrangement of the buttons, the specific titles of the buttons, thenumber of buttons and/or the exact operations to be performed with thebuttons as illustrated. For example, arrows can be used instead of thedirections the cargo is to be moved. Furthermore, the term buttonsshould be interpreted to be include various types of physical buttons,locations on a touch screen, switches, toggles or the like that could beused to select the appropriate action by depressing, touching, tapping,flipping or the like the location associated with the action.

When a user is ready to use the system 900 they may power on thewireless controller 970 and depress (touch, tap) the pair button 1050 inproximity to any cargo bay station 910 in order to pair the twotogether. Once they are paired no other wireless controller 970 can beconnected to the cargo bay station 910 and the wireless controller 970cannot be connected to another cargo bay station 910 until the power iscycled again. This allows two systems 900 to work next to each otherwithout the wireless controller 970 from one interfering with anadjacent one. It should be noted that the wireless controller 970 andthe cargo bay station 910 pairing will ensure that the wirelesscontroller 970 operates correctly based on the orientation of therailcar with respect to the cargo bay. For example, as IN on one side ofthe railcar is the same direction as OUT on other side the pairing willensure that when IN 1070 is depressed that the appropriate action istaken for the side of the cargo bay that the cargo bay station 910 islocated with respect to the cargo railcar.

When a user desires to raise the rollers or roller balls associated witha certain section of the railcar or the table, they can depress theassociated button 1010, 1020, 1030, 1080 to, for example, inflate theairbag sections associated therewith. The airbag sections will stayinflated until the user depresses the associated button 1010, 1020,1030, 1080 again at which point the airbag sections will deflate and therollers or roller balls associated therewith will be retracted.

When the user wishes to move cargo in a certain direction they candepress the associated button 1040, 1060, 1070, 1090 to activate theassociated powered rollers, which includes inflating the appropriateairbag and rotating the roller in the appropriate direction. For safetyreasons, the powered rollers will only be active when the button isdepressed. As soon as the button is no longer depressed (or not enoughpressure is applied) the rotation of the rollers will stop. Thisprovides the user with precise control of the operation thereof. Thepowered rollers that are aligned in the same direction may operate incombination with one another. For example, to move cargo in (or out) ofthe cargo railcar the powered roller 230 on the table and the poweredroller 320 in the railcar may rotate in a first (or second) directiontogether. Likewise, to move cargo to the back (or front) of the car, thepowered rollers 360, 370 in the railcar may rotate in a first (orsecond) direction together.

As noted above, the powered rollers may only rotate in certaindirections if certain airbag sections are lifted as a precaution. Forexample, if the left tracks are not activated (tracks 380 in back of therailcar) and the powered rollers are activated in the left direction(toward back), the powered roller 360 may not operate as it could pushcargo to a floor not configured for moving cargo, while the poweredroller 370 may operate as it could be bringing cargo from right tracks(tracks 390 in front of the railcar) to the center. If the roller ballassemblies 500 are not activated the operation of all the poweredrollers 320, 360, 370 in the railcar may be restricted.

It should be noted that while this disclosure focused on the use ofpowered rollers, that it is not limited thereto. Rather, any type ofpowered movement devices that could raise up slightly in operation andcould be operated in alternating directions could be utilized withoutdeparting from the current scope. For example, powered conveyor beltscapable of operation in either direction along a plane could be utilizedin place of the powered rollers.

It should also be noted that while this disclosure focused on use ofroller ball track assemblies to provide the multidirectional movement inthe center of the railcar, that it is not limited thereto. Rather, thetracks could include any type of moveable parts that would enablemovement in any direction without departing from the current scope.Furthermore, while the disclosure focused on the use of airbags to raisethe roller balls within the tracks it is not limited thereto. Rather,any other means for raising the roller balls when activated could beutilized without departing from the current scope. Moreover, while thedisclosure focused on the roller balls being housed within tracks it isnot limited thereto. Rather, the roller balls could be located withinvarious types of devices without departing from the current scope.

It should also be noted that while this disclosure focused on use ofroller track assemblies to provide the bi-directional movement to/fromthe center of the railcar from/to the first/second side of the railcar(a first plane) and bi-directional movement to/from the center of therailcar from/to the cargo table (a second plane), that it is not limitedthereto. Rather, the tracks could include any type of moveable partsthat would enable bi-directional movement along the first or secondplane without departing from the current scope. Furthermore, while thedisclosure focused on the use of airbags to raise the rollers within thetracks it is not limited thereto. Rather, any other means for raisingthe rollers when activated could be utilized without departing from thecurrent scope. Moreover, while the disclosure focused on the rollersbeing housed within tracks it is not limited thereto. Rather, therollers could be located within various types of devices withoutdeparting from the current scope.

Although the disclosure has been illustrated by reference to specificembodiments, it will be apparent that the disclosure is not limitedthereto as various changes and modifications may be made thereto withoutdeparting from the scope. Reference to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristicdescribed therein is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, theappearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment”appearing in various places throughout the specification are notnecessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

The various embodiments are intended to be protected broadly within thespirit and scope of the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A railcar loading system comprising aplurality of roller ball tracks located in a center of a railcar betweendoors thereof, wherein the roller ball tracks are capable of beingactivated to raise a plurality of roller balls above a floor of therailcar and enable cargo to move in any direction thereover; a firstplurality of roller tracks located on a first side of the railcar,wherein the first plurality of roller tracks are capable of beingactivated to raise a first plurality of rollers above the floor andenable cargo to move in a first direction from the center of the railcarto the first side of the railcar or in a second direction from the firstside of the railcar to the center of the railcar; a second plurality ofroller tracks located on a second side of the railcar, wherein thesecond plurality of roller tracks are capable of being activated toraise a second plurality of rollers above the floor and enable cargo tomove in the first direction from the second side of the railcar to thecenter of the railcar or in the second direction from the center of therailcar to the second side of the railcar; a first powered movementdevice located in the center of the railcar, wherein the first poweredmovement device is capable of being activated to raise above the floorand to operate in a third direction to move cargo in the third directionassociated with moving cargo into the railcar or to operate in a fourthdirection to move cargo in the fourth direction associated with movingcargo out of the railcar; at least one second powered movement devicelocated in the center of the railcar, wherein the at least one secondpowered movement device is capable of being activated to raise above thefloor and to operate in the first direction to move cargo in the firstdirection within the railcar or operate in the second direction to movecargo in the second direction within the railcar; and a wirelesscontroller to control operation of the system.
 2. The railcar loadingsystem of claim 1, wherein the wireless controller includes trackbuttons to control operation of respective ones of the plurality ofroller ball tracks, the first plurality of roller tracks and the secondplurality of roller tracks.
 3. The railcar loading system of claim 1,wherein the wireless controller includes direction buttons associatedwith moving the cargo in the first, the second, the third or the fourthdirections, wherein when a particular direction button of the directionbuttons is depressed associated ones of the first powered movementdevice and the at least one second powered movement device are activatedto be raised and to operate in the direction associated with theparticular direction button that is depressed for as long as theparticular direction button is depressed.
 4. The railcar loading systemof claim 1, wherein the plurality of roller ball tracks, the firstplurality of roller tracks, the second plurality of roller tracks, thefirst powered movement device and the at least one second poweredmovement device include airbags, wherein the associated airbags areinflated to raise appropriate ones of the roller balls, the firstplurality of rollers, the second plurality of rollers, the first poweredmovement device and the at least one second powered movement deviceabove the floor.
 5. The railcar loading system of claim 4, furthercomprising an air connection on each side of the railcar; and a solenoidair valve to route air to the associated airbags based on signalsreceived thereby.
 6. The railcar loading system of claim 1, furthercomprising a cargo table located on a cargo bay capable of connecting tothe railcar, the cargo table including a third plurality of rollertracks, wherein the third plurality of roller tracks are capable ofbeing activated to raise a third plurality of rollers above a floor ofthe cargo table and enable cargo to move in the third direction from thecargo table to the railcar or in the fourth direction from the railcarto the cargo table; and a third powered movement device, wherein thethird powered movement device is capable of being activated to raiseabove the floor and to operate in the third direction to move cargo inthe third direction associated with moving cargo into the railcar or tooperate in the fourth direction to move cargo in the fourth directionassociated with moving cargo out of the railcar; and a control panel forreceiving commands from the wireless controller and providing thecommands to the railcar and the cargo table.
 7. The railcar loadingsystem of claim 6, wherein the control panel and the wireless controllerare paired together so that commands from the wireless controller areinterpreted based on which side of the railcar the control panel islocated.
 8. The railcar loading system of claim 1, wherein at least oneof the first powered movement device and the at least one second poweredmovement device is a powered roller.
 9. The railcar loading system ofclaim 1, wherein at least one of the first powered movement device andthe at least one second powered movement device is a powered conveyor.10. A railcar loading system comprising at least one cargo railcarhaving a door on each side thereof and including a first plurality oftracks located in a center of the railcar between the doors thereof,wherein the first plurality of tracks are capable of being activated toraise a first plurality of movable parts above a floor of the railcar,wherein the first plurality of moveable parts enable cargo to move inany direction thereover; a second plurality of tracks located on a firstside of the railcar, wherein the first plurality of tracks are capableof being activated to raise a second plurality of moveable parts abovethe floor, wherein the second plurality of moveable parts enable cargoto move in a first direction from the center to the first side of therailcar or in a second direction from the first side to the center ofthe railcar; a third plurality of tracks located on a second side of therailcar, wherein the third plurality of tracks are capable of beingactivated to raise a third plurality of moveable parts above the floor,wherein the third plurality of moveable parts enable cargo to move inthe first direction from the second side to the center of the railcar orin the second direction from the center to the second side of therailcar; a first powered movement device located in the center of therailcar, wherein the first powered movement device is capable of beingactivated to raise above the floor and to operate in a third directionto move cargo in the third direction associated with moving cargo intothe railcar or to operate in a fourth direction to move cargo in thefourth direction associated with moving cargo out of the railcar; and atleast one second powered movement device located in the center of therailcar, wherein the at least one second powered movement device iscapable of being activated to raise above the floor and to operate inthe first direction to move cargo in the first direction within therailcar or operate in the second direction to move cargo in the seconddirection within the railcar; a cargo table capable of connecting to therailcar, the cargo table including a fourth plurality of tracks, whereinthe fourth plurality of tracks are capable of being activated to raise afourth plurality of moveable parts above a floor of the table and enablecargo to move in the third direction from the table to the railcar or inthe fourth direction from the railcar to the table; and a third poweredmovement device, wherein the third powered movement device is capable ofbeing activated to raise above the floor and to operate in the thirddirection to move cargo in the third direction associated with movingcargo into the railcar or to operate in the fourth direction to movecargo in the fourth direction associated with moving cargo out of therailcar; a wireless controller to control operation of the railcar andthe cargo table; and a control panel for receiving commands from thewireless controller and providing the commands to the railcar and thecargo table.
 11. The railcar loading system of claim 10, wherein thecontrol panel and the wireless controller are paired together so thatcommands from the wireless controller are interpreted based on whichside of the railcar the control panel is located.
 12. The railcarloading system of claim 10, wherein the wireless controller includestrack buttons to control operation of respective ones of the firstplurality of tracks, the second plurality of tracks, the third pluralityof tracks or the fourth plurality of tracks.
 13. The railcar loadingsystem of claim 10, wherein the wireless controller includes directionbuttons associated with moving the cargo in the first, the second, thethird or the fourth directions, wherein when a particular directionbutton of the direction buttons is depressed associated ones of thefirst powered movement device, the at least one second powered movementdevice, and the third powered movement device are activated to be raisedand to operate in the direction associated with the particular directionbutton that is depressed for as long as the particular direction buttonis depressed.
 14. The railcar loading system of claim 10, wherein atleast one of the first powered movement device, the at least one secondpowered movement device, and the third powered movement device is apowered roller.
 15. The railcar loading system of claim 10, wherein atleast one of the second, third or fourth plurality of tracks are rollertracks and the second, third or fourth plurality of moveable parts arerollers.
 16. The railcar loading system of claim 10, wherein the firstplurality of tracks are roller ball tracks and the first plurality ofmoveable parts are roller balls.
 17. A railcar loading system comprisingat least one cargo railcar having a door on each side thereof andincluding a plurality of roller ball tracks located in a center of therailcar between the doors thereof, wherein the plurality of roller balltracks include airbags that are capable of being inflated when theplurality of roller ball tracks are activated to raise a plurality ofroller balls above a floor of the railcar and enable cargo to move inany direction thereover; a first plurality of roller tracks located on afirst side of the railcar, wherein the first plurality of roller tracksinclude airbags that are capable of being inflated when the firstplurality of roller tracks are activated to raise a first plurality ofrollers above the floor and enable cargo to move in a first directionfrom the center of the railcar to the first side of the railcar or in asecond direction from the first side of the railcar to the center of therailcar; a second plurality of roller tracks located on a second side ofthe railcar, wherein the second plurality of roller tracks includeairbags that are capable of being inflated when the second plurality ofroller tracks are activated to raise a second plurality of rollers abovethe floor and enable cargo to move in the first direction from thesecond side of the railcar to the center of the railcar or in the seconddirection from the center of the railcar to the second side of therailcar; a first powered roller located in the center of the railcar,wherein the first powered roller includes an airbag that is capable ofbeing inflated when movement in a third direction associated with movingcargo into the railcar or in a fourth direction associated with movingcargo out of the railcar is activated, when the airbags are inflated thefirst powered roller is raised above the floor and is to operate in thethird direction to move cargo in the third direction or to operate inthe fourth direction to move cargo in the fourth direction; at least onesecond powered roller located in the center of the railcar, wherein theat least one second powered roller includes an airbag that is capable ofbeing inflated when movement in the first direction or the seconddirection is activated, when the airbags are inflated the at least onesecond powered roller is raised above the floor and is to operate in thefirst direction to move cargo in the first direction or operate in thesecond direction to move cargo in the second direction; an airconnection on each side of the railcar; an electrical/data connection oneach side of the railcar; and a solenoid air valve to route air to theappropriate airbags based on signals received thereby; a cargo tablecapable of connecting to the railcar, the cargo table including a thirdplurality of roller tracks, wherein the third plurality of roller tracksinclude airbags that are capable of being inflated when the thirdplurality of roller tracks are activated to raise a third plurality ofrollers above a floor of the table and enable cargo to move in the thirddirection from the table to the railcar or in the fourth direction fromthe railcar to the table; a third powered roller, wherein the thirdpowered roller includes an airbag that is capable of being inflated whenmovement in the third direction associated with moving cargo into therailcar or in the fourth direction associated with moving cargo out ofthe railcar is activated, when the airbags are inflated the thirdpowered roller is raised above the floor and is to operate in the thirddirection to move cargo in the third direction or to operate in thefourth direction to move cargo in the fourth direction; an airconnection; and an electrical/data connection; an air source forproviding air to the railcar and the cargo table; a wireless controllerto control operation of the railcar and the cargo table; and a controlpanel for receiving commands from the wireless controller and providingthe commands to the railcar and the cargo table.
 18. The railcar loadingsystem of claim 17, wherein the control panel and the wirelesscontroller are paired together so that commands from the wirelesscontroller are interpreted based on which side of the railcar thecontrol panel is located.
 19. The railcar loading system of claim 17,wherein the wireless controller includes track buttons to controloperation of respective ones of the plurality of roller ball tracks, thefirst plurality of roller tracks, the second plurality of roller tracksand the third plurality of roller tracks.
 20. The railcar loading systemof claim 17, wherein the wireless controller includes direction buttonsassociated with moving the cargo in the first, the second, the third orthe fourth directions, wherein when a particular direction button of thedirection buttons is depressed associated ones of the first poweredroller, the at least one second powered roller, and the third poweredroller are activated to raise above the floor and to operate in thedirection associated with the particular direction button that isdepressed for as long as the particular direction button is depressed.